Gift Exchange

1 ) A method for exchanging gifts, comprising:

establishing at a website a group of individuals desiring to exchange gifts with each other to celebrate an event;

receiving at the website names and descriptions of gifts desired by each individual in the group;

providing at the website an interface to enable each individual to select one of the gifts to purchase for one of the individuals; and

preventing at the website a first individual in the group from selecting one of the gifts after a second individual in the group previously selected the one of the gifts for purchase.

2 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, requiring each of the group of individuals to register with the website before allowing the individuals to exchange gifts.

3 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a hyperlink that provides a link to purchase the gift.

4 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a ranking of the gift, wherein the ranking provides an indication of importance of the gift to an individual.

5 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a price range for the gift, wherein the price range indicates a price for the gift.

6 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a description of the gift, wherein the description of the gift describes the gift so group of individuals can locate the gift for purchase at a website.

7 ) The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing an interface that visually indicates to the first individual that the one of the gifts was previously selected by the second individual for purchase.

8 ) A tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

registering a group of individuals desiring to exchange gifts with each other over a website;

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) so each individual in the group can enter at the website names of gifts and descriptions of the gifts desired to be received;

receiving through the GUI a selection by each individual in the group to purchase one of the gifts for another individual in the group; and

prohibiting two or more individuals of the group from selecting to purchase a same gift that is desired by one of the individuals and listed on the website.

9 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising:

providing at the GUI for a first individual a first list of gifts that the first individual desires to be received in a gift exchange;

providing at the GUI for the first individual a second list of gifts that other individuals in the group desire to be received in the gift exchange.

10 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising, providing a budgeting tool that tracks an amount of money that each individual in the group spends on gifts for other individuals in the group.

11 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising, warning a first individual in the group when the first individual changes a description of a first gift after a second individual in the group has already selected the first gift for purchase.

12 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising, notifying a first individual in the group when a second individual in the group changes a description of a gift that the first individual already selected to purchase for the second individual.

13 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising, entering at the GUI a description of a family gift for plural individuals in the group.

14 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising:

providing a text field in the GUI for entering hyperlinks to the gifts;

providing a price field in the GUI for entering a price range for the gifts;

providing a ranking field in the GUI for entering a priority for the gifts.

15 ) The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising, providing an icon in the GUI that indicates when another individual in the group has already purchased one of the gifts.

16 ) A computer system, comprising:

a memory storing an algorithm; and

a processor executing the algorithm to:

establish at a website a group of individuals desiring to exchange gifts with each other to celebrate an event;

receive at the website names and descriptions of gifts desired by each individual in the group;

provide at the website an interface to enable each individual to select one of the gifts to purchase for one of the individuals; and

prohibit at the website a first individual in the group from selecting one of the gifts after a second individual in the group previously selected the one of the gifts for purchase.

17 ) The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to present a status of each gift indicating whether the gift has already been selected by a member in the group.

18 ) The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to provide an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a hyperlink that provides a link to purchase the gift.

19 ) The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to provide an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a ranking of the gift, wherein the ranking provides an indication of importance of the gift to an individual.

20 ) The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to provide an interface for each of the individuals to enter a gift and a price range for the gift, wherein the price range indicates a price for the gift.